I understand it’s still a cancer but to me it doesn’t seem the same as cancers that affect certain specific organs. Why is it so deadly? I understand how liver, lung, or colon cancer can kill so quickly, but your skin doesn’t necessarily hold the same level of delicacy as other organs.
You can cut or scrape skin regularly and it heals very well, but if you cut or scrape your colon or rectum that’s a major medical emergency. How is melanoma considered one of the deadliest cancers in that context?
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Cancer has two forms, a localized tumor and metastatic disease. When the cancer gets out of the tumor, the metastatic form has individual cancer cells that can float around in the bloodstream. If they find a place to latch on, they start a new tumor growing there. If you think of a distinct tumor form, like a breast tumor, when it gets loose (called metastasizing) you can end up with a breast cancer tumor growing in your liver. While that’s not the same as a liver tumor, it can still cause more serious problems.
The problem with the skin as an organ is that it’s a lot thinner than a lumpy organ like a breast. As a result, it’s quicker to grow to the boundary and get loose. Once it gets lose, there is no more concept of cutting it out.
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